Menu Bar

Thursday, April 18, 2013

20TH ANNIVERSARY SANDLOT TOUR - 4.14.2013 - DAY 8

TRENTON, NJ TO TRENTON, NJ??

Dear Reader,

So last night, late, after the screening (and the Firkin' Pub run with Matt Gagne), Navigator Stacey, Captain Maverick and me head over to the hotel my friends at FHE (Fox Home Entertainment) have booked us into.

Now, you have to understand that our small team is a down to earth and frugal bunch - we prefer middle of the road, pet-friendly hotels like Drury Inn, La Quinta, Marriott Residence Inn and the like. Clean. Inexpensive. And everywhere you need them on the road.

So when my itinerary read "Element" Hotel (not Element"s", but the singular Element) I had no idea what the hell that was. I was expecting something on the order of a place run by Wickens and wanna-be Druids in full-on Burning Man mode. With a bunch of lighted up geodes ad crystals all over the place, "Welcome to Element, can we adjust your chakra, drain and energize your chi?"

But no. It wasn't like that. It was, to coin a phrase, Euro-Green. Like Mr. Ikea and the dude that designed the Prius got into the hotel business.

However, pulling up to the front door, my expectations change instantly. Clearly, I think, when I walk in this place there'll be two Thin White Duke types in body-hugging black wrist-to-ankle unitards behind the front desk, wearing My Boy Sherman glasses while Thomas Dolby and Devo blast through the lobby speakers.

Either that, or pursuant to the name Element, I'll be met with a boatload of attitude for not driving a smug-mobile (insert name of you favorite hybrid car here), and be forced to take a quick course in how to behave in a place so important it has its own square on the periodic table - right next to some incredibly rare element - myscatdontstinkium.

Element street side sign at night, so bright you can't read it, but really, when you stay here, you know where you are.

Element entrance, obviously designed but a guy named Deider

Notice the slighted "dutched" "e's" - as in "I'm euro."

The tidy lobby - very nice

Front desk, with a monitor that plays Element hotel promos on a loop

I'm kidding of course, because the place turned out to be really nice, and the staff very helpful. The room was very large and the shower had one of those "rain from above" shower heads which manages the near impossible task of saving water AND rinsing you completely soap sud free quickly.

Full kitchen too. Check.

Yeah, so, too much to do and too much work to catch up on the have left Trenton for Greenville, SC, the next stop on the Tour. So Navigator Stacey, Captain Maverick and me have a little confab and decide to hang an extra day at Element. There's a great green space outback for The Captain and he liked it just fine.

So this day we repacked and revacced the t-shirt supply, caught up on the blog, did some laundry and got ready to leaving for Greenville, SC in the next morning. But not before we got to visit with some friends we hadn't seen for a few years who live near the Trenton area.Navigator Stacey and I met on a kid's comedy I directed in 2007, Ace Ventura Jr. Pet Detective, and the star of the film was Josh Flitter. Josh and I got along famously. We had, I think (and I think Josh will agree) a rare simpatico between actor and director, and that, combined with the fact that Josh is literally one of the only actual geniuses I have ever met, made for a hysterically funny, and hysterically fun shoot. We had missed him and his mom Carla.So we met up at a local 50's sort of throw-back diner. Which, judging by the revolving door is a very popular place.

24/7 just like they used to be

Very shiny

A cash cow

64 different types of omeletes

The menu, I swear, weighed 4 pounds

DME and Josh Flitter

It was great to see Josh and his mom and dad again. We hugged it out in the parking lot after brunch, Josh and I exchanged info and Followed each other on Twitter. So, ya know, now I follow Flitter on Twitter. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

After brunch the rest of the day was in preparation for tomorrow's exit from the Trenton area.

And, of course, the end of day beer:

This is the same glass as yesterday's end of day beer, because we were still at the Element Hotel in Trenton, The stemless wine glasses (Of course the Element Hotel has "stemless" wine glasses) work really well with tidy IPA